Moments When The Earth Stood Still
by scifen
Summary: Short Fic. Moments in Dom's life when the Earth stood still.
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: A few moments in Dom's life when the Earth stood still._

**Moments when the Earth stood still**

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It was a routine occurrence for Dom and his father, Anthony, to go to the races. And just like his father, Dom showed great interest and natural skill with cars and their engines – so naturally, garages and race tracks became their stomping grounds. Anthony Toretto was turning out to be quite a formidable racer in the pro-stock circuit – with his ground breaking record; he was unquestionably making his mark in the race industry.

With the last race of the season coming up Anthony's kids were on edge. They were certain that their father would win, and they were even more anxious to see what fruits would transpire from their father's labor in winning the whole damn thing. His kids gave him the type of glorification of a god. They noticed their father was on the verge of making it big, and they were ready for the amazing ride.

The final race of the season manifested on a bright and shiny Saturday. The day started out rather ordinary – as typical as a race day at the track could get. Dominic and Mia's father spent the morning doing test runs, constantly checking the air in his tires, and sporadically making minor tweaks to the charger's engine. As the day wore on, Dom and Mia were only becoming more anxious to witness their father race.

When the familiar sound of the black charger reached the starting line, Dom's excitement excelled to new heights. It was a beautiful beast that invigorated and frightened him all at the same time – a feeling that only he and his father fathomed. The roaring of all the engines pushed more doses of adrenaline through Dom's veins, feeling as though he was a driver in the race. In what seemed like unison, all the cars broke from the starting line, causing every single person in the stands to erupt in a roar of cheers.

Once the races started Dom never left his seat. He always had Mia and his friends fetch him drinks or food, and only if his bladder was near exploding would he race like a marathon runner to the bathroom and back to his seat – he never wanted to miss even a second of the race. The echoing sound of speeding cars vibrating through the stands always sent exhilarating chills up his spine. The races were like heaven for Dom, but today would change all those familiar feelings.

Anthony Toretto started off the race fairly well by dropping no lower than fifth place. As laps elapsed, he found himself sinking no lower than third, and in the final lap he found himself ahead of the pack – ready to claim a victorious win. At this point in the race Dom was standing, completely focused on his father. A guy named Kenny Linder found himself seeing the backside of the charger throughout the whole race; he was undoubtedly frustrated and was just itching at a chance to pass the immaculate driver, Anthony Toretto.

It was in the final turn where everything seemed to come at a standstill for Dom. Kenny Linder made a bold move and came from the inside and clipped Anthony's bumper. The second Linder's car made contact with the charger's bumper the surrounding crowd slowly dissolved away, hearing became distorted and the only audible sound in Dom's ears was his own erratic breathing. The slow-motion effect began as his father's car started to spin out of control. It wasn't until the sight of crunch metal into the race track's wall that led to a deafening silence. Dom's immediate reaction was screaming, but his brain was completely unaware that his lungs were producing such frightful and disturbing screams that fled uncontrollably from his mouth. The explosion came next. If the horrifying scraps of metal weren't enough to rip apart Dom's entire world, the tanks in the car that exploded clarified it next. The flames that engulfed the charger claimed his father like a hunter claiming its prey. He screamed with every fiber of his being as if it were somehow going to save him. In that moment the Earth stopped moving, standing completely still as Dom watched his father burn to death – watching the dancing flames slowly and painfully burn the life he unequivocally loved, away.

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_Author's Note: Like it? Don't like it? Let me know._


	2. Chapter 2

The loss of Anthony Toretto numbed Dom into a distraught state – so much so, that he started functioning in life mechanically, with infinitesimal emotion. The social part of his life dissipated and late night drag races were put on the back burner. He didn't know how to exist in a world where his father didn't, and that type of confusion was comfortably situating itself in his mind.

Commiserating with the team became an incapable task. Conversations held no real substance and solely consisted of monosyllabic responses. Eating and sleeping no longer became a necessary commodity. Hunger pains, mental, and physical exhaustion were diminutive compared to the pain of losing his father. Dom's way of coping with everything was to stay busy – so his days and nights were spent at DT Automotive or his own garage at the fort. He robotically existed in the world.

It had roughly been a week since the passing of Anthony Toretto, and today would mark the first rush of emotions Dom would feel.

It was an airless, humid, Thursday afternoon. Dom and the team were at DT Automotive working on cars, doing paint jobs – any task that would keep them busy from completely falling into a deep depression. The garage was devoid of any conversations, the only sound that filled the garage were the clinking of tools to engine parts.

When lunch approached the team dispersed to the bags of food Mia brought. They stopped trying to convince Dom to join them, to eat something – he was grieving and they weren't going to try and speed up the process. It was his prerogative to take as much time as needed. The team comfortably situated themselves out back on stacks of tires to feed their growling stomachs – leaving him to work on his own.

Dom was precisely setting the torque of a fastener when streams of sweat rolled down from his sleek bald scalp and into his vision. He inhaled sharply at the thought of having to tear himself from his work. His body needed to hydrate and he reluctantly complied – solely because he knew the job would never get done if he were to pass out. Rather than go outback and ask the team for something to drink, he left out the front and ventured to the corner store. Unbeknownst that he was still carrying his three-quarter-inch torque wrench.

He walked into the small liquor store without acknowledging the cashier's greeting and went straight to the cold drinks. His fingers reflexively curled around an ice cold water bottle but quickly retracted when the sound of a familiar voice entered his ear canals. It was the same voice that uttered a meaningless apology to him and his sister about a week ago.

Dom peeked over the aisles of candy and chips to see Kenny Linder talking on his cell phone. He watched Linder intently, so much so, that it caused tunnel vision – focusing only on him like a sniper. He watched as Linder sporadically smiled and chuckled into the phone. When he hung up, he averted his attention to the female cashier to purchase a package of cigarettes – and flirt in the process. Each breath, each smile, and laugh Linder surged out was taunting Dom about his father not being able to express those emotions, or even breathe in air.

Dom began taking steps as heavy as stone. Time slowly began to suspend as he walked to catch up to Linder. It was as though Dom's anger was grasping the Earth, so much so, that it was gradually coming to halt. His first thought was to hit him, so he did. Dom's intentions were to strike him just once, in attempts to make Linder feel like his whole world had come to an end, just as his did. Unbeknownst to Dom, one swift swing of his wrench turned two, and so on. In his head he only hit him once and time stopped, the Earth standing completely still as poetic justice was performed, but it went further than that – almost causing death.

In what seemed to be a millisecond the Earth slowly started turning again. His tunnel vision subsided and his surroundings slowly started to materialize. His arms feeling as heavy as stone from the unmerciful attack he had just unleashed. His hand and wrench were crimson stained, with specks of blood peppered on his shirt and neck. There were a dozen of onlookers with stunned and horrified expressions plastered on their faces. Little did he know the damage he caused would strip him of his freedom – not only in everyday life, but legal street racing. And the Earth stood completely still to capture the oxymoron disaster – Dom's revenge laced with regret.

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_Author's Note: I was going to add Letty's death to this fic but I already did a one shot fic that pretty much showed how Dom felt. Anyhow, I hope the fic was still enjoyable. Not much new information, just added some slight filling. Like it? Don't like it? Let me know._

_-scifen  
_


	3. Chapter 3

With all his senses stabilizing, realization seeped into Dom's mind. Regret was the first – he regretted subjecting someone to such a brutal beating, essentially crippling a man for life. Shame crept in his mind next – the thought of his father entered his mind and could just imagine the disappointment he would feel about his actions. Poetic justice twirled its way in next – in all its angst and brutish manner it oddly felt right. These emotions and feelings danced back and forth in Dom's mind until his eyes mustered up the courage to face the people who surrounded him.

The first wave of eyes Dom made contact with were typical civilians – all with horrified expressions painted on their faces. Some of their stares hinted that he was animal that needed to be caged quickly. Others were stunned to have witnessed such an attack they didn't know was possible. It wasn't their stares or expressions that concerned him, it was the teams' that mattered – and that's where his eyes fell next.

Vince stood with his arms tightly folded across his chest as his eyes met Dom. He knew the reason behind Dom's action but could not help but feel sad that his best friend from the third grade was going to be driven away from his life. He shook his head as he slightly blamed himself for leaving Dom alone, because knew he would have did everything in his power to stop what he did here today. Vince's eyes softened as if to say "why?"

Dom's eyes then locked to Mia's, filled with tears ready to spill out. Her eyes portrayed a great deal of sadness. With soft movements of her eyes she said and asked so much to her only brother. Without a single movement of her lips she said so much: "This wasn't going to bring dad back" "Why?" "You realize you're leaving me all alone" – all of which sent a dagger straight through his heart. He failed her.

Leon looked bewildered. Dom was their leader and his current situation was displacing him – and the sirens that were coming in the distance were clarifying it. He did his best to convey sympathy for Dom but fell short, as did Jesse. Jesse placed Dom on a high pedestal in his life and was amongst the gods in the car heavens. He was the gravity that kept them and pulled them in the necessary direction, but all of that was currently being disrupted.

Those four sets of eyes made Dom own the feeling of shame as a handful of police exited their cars, and paramedics tended to Kenny Linder. The sound of their sleek polished shoes started to echo loudly in Dom's ears as they approached. It was the cocking of their guns that made him release his torque wrench and lift his head to engage in a stare with Letty.

The volume in which she spoke with her eyes caught him off guard. The indescribable expression that was beaming through her soft brown eyes seemed to wash away any shame or guilt. Her eyes veiled that everything would be okay, despite the clasping of cold metal handcuffs tightening around his wrist. Unlike the others, there was no sense of fear or disappointment – only an understanding. Judgment was nowhere near Letty's proximity. Her eyes were embracing him and all his demons that festered over the past week. She acted as though the aftermath of his actions were simple mistakes that happened to everyone in life. Dom never knew eyes like that existed, that type of emotion, or that type of understanding.

As the force of arms begin to drag Dom away from the team, his eyes remained locked with Letty. Then it starts happening again; time slowly deactivating as her eyes give him the smallest glimmer of hope – that maybe, just maybe, he can exist in a world where his father doesn't.

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_Author's Note: Short, but hopefully it packs a punch. Like it? Don't like it? Let me know._


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Ending this fanfiction early because I'm currently working on two fics involving Dom and Letty – one of them being how they came to be. I know there are so many out there already so I'm trying not to be too repetitive. Anyhow, here's the last chapter of this fic. Like it? Don't like it? Let me know.

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"Dom," Mia's voice echoed through the payphone.

He slightly rolls his eyes – it's just like his baby sister to check up on him, despite his strict orders on not to.

"Mia, I told you not to call me here," he explains with a hint of agitation in his voice.

"Dom, its Letty…" Mia beings and he sighs once more about the women in his life who appear unable to follow simple instructions, "she's been murdered."

The word murdered causes his breath to come to a steady halt. His mind could never fathom Letty and murder in the same sentence. He briefly wonders if he heard wrong but he knows better. The razor sharp words were too swift for him to attempt to block them out. They quickly whirled into his ears and latched onto his brain with no mercy. He finally remembers to breathe and fully grasp the information given to him: someone murdered Letty. His veins being to pulsate at a rapid pace, so much so, that they start to bulge out against his bronze skin. The familiar emotion of anger begins to manifest. The muscles in his chest begin to tighten, constricting so much that there's slight physical pain. He clenches the phone into a death grip that causes his palm and knuckles to turn white. Someone killed Letty – his Letty.

He swallows the arduous lump in his throat that materialized with vast speed and attempts to speak.

"I'll see you soon," he says and drops the phone before his sister can protest.

His feet mechanically start taking the necessary steps to his car but they're restricted steps, as if rust has abruptly formed on his legs.

"Letty, she's been murdered" those words finally pierce devastating holes through his heart as he slumps against the tall wooden doors to his rustic garage.

He can feel himself slowly unraveling – emotionally and physically. Hearing and breathing are slowly becoming a thing of the past. His mouth starts to part and make movements to form words that he can't hear. The only audible sound is Letty's voice.

"_Ride or Die, remember? Dom, how long have we been doing this? Now, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, it's too dangerous. Come on. We'll figure out, we always do."_

Her words keep replaying over and over, like a mantra as he hits the sides of his head with clenched fists. If only he would have listened to her none of this would have ever happened. Letty was always right, what made him chose a different path? It's a question that will haunt and unmercifully taunt him forever.

Dom's heart beings to feel an incalculable amount of pain: punctured, broken, torn, twisted – every deformation that can occur is happening. Even now – in distorted pieces – his heart aches for Letty. The thought of her not existing in a world where he doesn't causes tears to well in his eyes. He'll never feel her soft and sultry touch. He'll never feel her body pressed against his. He'll never hear the rapid flutter of her heartbeat in pleasure or steady flutter during a peaceful slumber. The back and forth banter they shared each day are no more, none of it, never again.

Warm tears start to escape his eyes, rolling down his cheeks with vast speed. Making things right starts to become his dominate thought. Despite blurry vision from watery, red-rimmed eyes, he continues to assemble the necessary repairs on his car.

In what seems to be instantaneous Dom finds himself crossing the border of Mexico and into California. His eyes no longer hold any emotion – only a focused stare implying he's on a mission to make things right. Time no longer matters. The Earth has stopped moving and is showing no signs of possible rotation. In Dom's reality why should it? Letty doesn't exist here.

His eyes overlook the parade of perfectly lined street racing cars and the people who are loitered at Letty's gravesite.

His eyes only pay homage to Letty.

He firmly crosses his arms at his chest and vows to never let another woman enter his heart.

He inhales sharply and whispers up to unwanted clear skies of Los Angeles, "Take care of her dad."

He turns swiftly and beings taking steps toward a journey he feels is necessary – a journey for Letty, for the love of Letty.


End file.
